Hinge for executive carrying case



Nov. 21, 1961 1.. LIFTON 3,009,193

HINGE FOR EXECUTIVE CARRYING CASE Filed Jan. 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w ll INVENTOR. [[W/J l/rra/v ATTORNEY Nov. 21, 1961 L. LIFTON 3,009,193 HiNGE FOR EXECUTIVE CARRYING CASE I Filed Jan. 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WIHIIIH H.

ATTORNEY United htates Patent 3,d09,l93 Patented Nov. 21., 1961 3,ti9,193 HINGE FOR EXECUTIVE CARRYING CAFE Lewis Lifton, Rex Bitit Leather Goods, inc, 151 W. 26th St., New Yorlr NX. Filed Jan. 20, 1958, Ser. No. 712,656 3 Claims. (Ci. -138) The present invention relates to an executive carrying case and particularly relates to an executive carrying case which may be used by lawyers, travelers, business men and the like.

In executive cases the internal strut or hinge construction required to hold the case open is positioned on the interior of the cover and base enclosure portion and when the case is opened sufficient space must be left for the swinging of the hinge or strut to hold the case open with its lead in elevated position and a similar amount of space must also be left within the case when the case is closed so that there will not be interference between the moving hinge and strut construction and the contents, papers, clothing or toilet articles which may have been positioned interiorly of the executive case.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel executive carrying case of the character above described in which the hinge construction will be removed from and positioned outside of the interior of the case so as not to take space therewithin and also so that it will be positioned upon the exterior of the case in .an unobtrusive position without unduly increasing the bulk or weight of the device and without affecting the desirable finish and appearance of the carrying case.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel carrying case of the executive type which will have a novel hinge construction which will serve to hinge the cover and container or carrying case portion together while at the same time holding the cover in elevated position when access is desired to the interior of the carry ing case of the executive type or to permit the case to be set up on a table with the carrying portion flat side down and the cover elevated to give a semi-concealed filing cabinet from which papers may be removed or reinserted.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel carrying case with a hinge structure of the character above described which will unobtrusively serve as a convenient firm supporting hinge and at the same time will hold the cover of an executive carrying case in a predetermined elevated position to permit ready access to the interior contents thereof.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects it has been found most desirable according to one embodiment of the present invention to provide two hingedly connected elements of hollow channel-like stock with a long hinge element being attached to the carrying or major case element and a short hinge element being attached to the cover or lead element and with the ends of the hinge elements being provided with protuberances or support balls or domes formed integrally therein to act as legs to posi tion the case when closed in elevated position.

Associated with the hingedly connected channel plate elements will be a relatively rigid elongated rider ele= ment having a hinged connection in one of the elements, desirably the shorter element, and having a sliding slotted connection in the other hinge element, desirably the longer hinge element.

This longer hinge element may be provided with an elongated resilient member desirably taking the form of a leaf spring riveted or otherwise permanently fastened in position to permit the elongated element to latch into one or more positions depending upon whether the cover when elevated is to be held in one position or may be held in a series of adjusted positions.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the outside face of the hinge construction of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an inside plan view.

RIG. 3 is a transverse longitudinal sectional view upon the line 33 of FIG. 1 upon an enlarged scale as compared to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view but with the short hinge element turned at an angle of ninety degrees as if the cover were fully opened and the short element is then in a position of ninety degrees to the long hinge element.

FIG. 5 is a transverse longitudinal sectional view upon the line 55 of FIG. 4 upon an enlarged scale as compared to FIG. 4 showing the short hinge element in open position.

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken upon the line 6-6 of FIG. 4 upon an enlarged scale as compared to FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the elongated sliding stay or latch element which is associated with the hinge construction of FIGS. 1 to 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective View of an executive type case in open position showing the manner in which the hinge holds the lead so that the interior of the case is available for inspection and filing purposes.

FIG. 9 shows the case in closed position with the container and cover portion closed together and the hinge used to support the case upon a table or floor as the case may be.

FIG. 10 is a rear View of the carrying case showing the lid in open position with the hinge holding the lid in such open position.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the hinge structure associated with the carrying case when the lid is held in open position.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, there is shown a hinge construction having a long hinge element A and a short hinge element B. The long hinge element A has a relatively fiat outside face 10 with openings 11 and 12 having dished peripheral portions 13 and 14 within which the heads of attachment elements may be received without undue projection. The end of the element receives the dome or ball element 15 formed integrally therewith as a leg element.

Referring to the inside face of the element A there are the side walls 16 with the curved portion 17 which have a semi-circular connection at 18 so that the interior face 19 is positioned below the edges of the side walls 16, 1'7 and 18.

The center portion of the hinge edge 20 of the element A is turned over at 21 to form a recess for a hinge pin or other hinge connection.

The short hinge element B has the two side openings 22 to receive fastening elements with the dished peripheral portions 23. The hinge edge portion has the integrally turned-over extensions 24 which receive the same pin which extends through the curled portion 2 1 of the element A. The end of the short element B has the dome or rounded projection which is of the same height as the projection 15 so that they will stand fiat upon the table top or floor.

The inside face of the short element B has the side walls 26 and the end curved wall 27 so that the interior face 28 will be within a recess portion.

The outside face of the short hinge portion B will have a projecting lug element 29 to clear the hinge portion 21 and it will also have a slot 30 which acts to receive and serve as a pivot for the hook end of the stay or latching element C. This hooked pivot portion 31 at its end portion 32 will swing upwardly and downwardly Within the hollow of projection 25 as shown best in FIGS. 3 and 5, with the base of the hook as indicated at 33 contacting the edge 34 of the opening in the open position of FIG. 5 and with the end 32 contacting the interior face 35 of the dome or projection 25 as indicated at the upper part of FIG. 3 when the hinge is in closed position. It will be noted in FIG. 5 that the edge 36 of the lug or expanded portion 29 will serve as a stop against the facing 37 of the main hinge element A when in open position as shown in FIG. 5.

Held by the rivet or eyelet 38 is the end 39 of the re- Silient or leaf spring element D. This element D at its hinge end 40 fits into recess 41 in the end of the hinge coil portion 21. Intermediately it is provided with one notch 42 as shown although several may be provided for various adjustments in which will lodge the end 43 of the stay or latch element C in open position as indicated in FIG. 5.

The nose 43 of the latch element or stay element C will be of reduced width as at 44 where it slides through the slot 45 in the elongated latch element A. The nose 43 itself will be slightly wider as best shown in FIG. 1 so as not to come out of the slot 45 during the sliding movement.

It will be noted that the latch or stay element C has a straight portion between its parts 46 and 47 so as to give maximum support as shown in FIG. 5 or so that it will lie within a plane connecting the domes or ball elements 15 and 25 and not prevent firm and stable support of the executive case in upright position.

The slot 45 is formed upon an elongated embossed portion 48 extending the greater portion of the length of the main hinge element A.

The stay element as best shown in FIG. 7 may be made of the same gilt or color as the hinge plates A and B whether of stainless steel or brass and it will be unobtrusive and serve to hold the cover in elevated position or in closed position.

The nose 43, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, will always ride against the inside face 49 of the leaf spring D.

In actual usage, as indicated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the container or body portion E of the executive case has the cover element F and it may be closed and stood in elevated position as indicated in FIG. 9 with the domes 15 and 25 acting as legs or it may be placed flat on a table with the cover F held in elevated position by the latch C, as indicated in FIG. 8, whereupon the interior is available for removing and filing papers and for inspection purposes.

The hinge as shown is readily connected to the carrying case and when attached will not increase the bulk or the expensive of manufacture and will readily hold the cover in one or more selected elevated positions and also hold the cover closed when the case is closed, as Shown in FIG. 9.

As shown in FIGS. 8, l0 and 11, the cover extends upwardly at about right angles to the plane of the receptacle position, but the hinge structure of FIGS. 1 to 6 may be so constructed that the cover F will be at a greater or lesser angle to the plane of the container E than 90 The base of the element C as shown in FIG. 9 may be slightly elevated from the supporting surface M when the bag stands upright and is closed, or it may contact the supporting surface M and aid the legs or domes 15 and 25 in supporting the bag.

It will be noted as best shown in FIG. 7 that the tapered nose 43 will slide along the inside face 49 of the resilient spring element D and it will have one latch position at the notch 42 in said spring as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 5.

A number of said latch positions 42 may be provided to give different adjustments of the elevated cover when open.

While there has been herein described a preferred form of the invention, it should be understood that the same may be altered in details and in relative arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. In an attache case of the type having a wide and deep rectangular portion and a shallow rectangular cover portion, having edge contacting bottom, top and side wall elements, a combination double hinge and stand structure positioned on the bottom wall elements having short and elongated shell members respectively mounted on the bottom wall elements having a hinge pin connection at edges of the bottom wall elements and having semispherical outwardly projecting dome portions extending beyond the shell members to serve as feet to support the case when closed, a bar having inturned end portions, said shell members having openings receiving the inturned portions, and resilient means inside of one of said shell members having an engagement for one end of said bar when said bottom wall elements are in open position with the shallow cover portion lifted to an angle of 90 away from the deep rectangular portion, the inturned end portion at the elongated shell member having a curved end cam nose and a reduced width recessed neck portion and the opening in said elongated member consisting of a longitudinally extending slot, the sides of the slot engaging the recesses on each side of the neck and said resilient means consisting of a bowed leaf spring extending under the elongated shell from the hinge pin to adjacent the dome portion and said engagement consisting of a notch under the end of the slot adjacent the dome portion to engage and hold said cam nose in position when the cover portion is lifted to an open angle of 90.

2. The attache case of claim 1, the inturned end portion of said bar at the short shell member having a semicircular reduced width curved portion reciprocating into and being stopped by the interior sides of the dome portion when the case is closed.

3. In an attache case devoid of internal strut and hinge constructions and of the type having two hingedly connected rectangular container elements, one a shallow container element serving as a cover and the other a deep container element serving as a receptacle, said elements each having opposite base walls parallel to each other when the case is closed and at right angles to each other when the case is open and back hinge walls hingedly connected together at their edges at both ends with the hinge axis extending parallelly along the adjacent edges, and side edge walls and top front walls all connected together and the last provided with latch and handle arrangements; the combination therewith of a completely exterior hinge arrangement mounted on the outside faces of the hinge walls and having transversely elongated short and long shallow inwardly dished hollow enclosures mounted on the outside faces of the hinge walls and extending substantially the full depth of the hinge walls transverse to the hinge axis, said enclosures having semispherical outwardly hollowed domed knob portions at the ends thereof away from the hinge axis and adjacent the base walls, said short enclosure having a longitudinally extending central short slot closely adjacent the domed 5 portion and having at its hinge end bifurcated spaced separated integral coiled cylindrical extensions turned inwardly to encircle the hinge axis and also having an obliquely bent outwardly sloping box-like stop portion extending toward the hinge axis, but stopping short of the hinge axis, and said long enclosure having an elongated central longitudinally extending slot midway between said domed portion and the hinge axis and said long enclosure having at its hinge end a central coiled integral cylindrical projection turned inwardly to encircle the hinge axis and closely fitting between and aligned with said bifurcated separate cylindrical extensions, a hinge pin extending through said cylindrical extensions and said cylindrical projection having its axis coinciding with the hinge axis, an elongated inwardly bowed narrow 15 leaf spring below the elongated slot at the hinge end engaged under the cylindrical projection beyond one end of the elongated slot and free to move toward and away from the hinge axis and at the end away from the hinge axis having a riveted connection centrally to the long enclosure beyond the end of the elongated slot and short of the end domed portion and a straight bar with turned in-ends extending into and riding in the short and elongated slots, with a semi-circular turned in end portion extending into the short slot and riding into and out of the end domed portion of short enclosure and a T-head turned in end portion riding in the elongated slot and against said bowed spring, said bowed spring having an intermediate locking notch.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 348,370 Great Britain May 14, 1931 386,760 France June 22, 1908 782,917 France Mar. 25, 1935 

